1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toys, and more particularly to a mechanical toy apparatus operated by a lever structure transforming a removable symbolic structure in a way that is simple yet unique and exciting for a user. The invention also relates to methods for transforming a symbolic structure with a lever structure in a toy or toy play set apparatus.
2. Background of the Invention
There are many known toys and toy play sets which incorporate assemblies for small kitchen appliances and simulated food products for the purpose of making make play time more exciting for a child. Engaging and activating the various toy appliances is accomplished through several different mechanisms which all strive to mimic the actions and reactions of real kitchen appliances and real food products.
For example, there are several known toy toasters incorporating a spring biased lever operable with a timing mechanism, gear mechanism or vacuum cup for simulating toast “popping up” from a toaster, as exemplified and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,120 issued Oct. 16, 1973 to Waak. A toy base resembling a toaster includes slots for receiving toy bread which is lowered into the base by depressing the biased lever and held for a time within the toaster simulating the toasting process. The toast is then “popped up” from inside the toaster allowing a user to access the toast from outside the base when the biased lever is released. The toast may also be turned while inside the toaster to a side of the bread which is colored to resemble cooked toast before “popping up” out of the toy toaster.
A known toy kitchen disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 0027482 A1, published Feb. 6, 2003 to Dumigan et al. teaches a toy kitchen body included with pressurized gas disposed therein and having multiple openings adapted to enable the pressurized gas to escape and provide energy to a number of associated objects operatively engaging the kitchen body. A plurality of toy appliances are operatively associated with the kitchen body and are configured to utilize the pressurized air to achieve visual and audio effects such as blending food, toasting bread, baking bread, and frying toy food, etc. When baking toy bread for example, the pressurized gas escapes through holes in the kitchen base and fills a cavity of a baking pan covered by an expanding material which rises when filled with the pressurized gas expanding and simulating rising dough.
Another known toy utilizing pressurized air is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,846,933 issued Nov. 12, 1974 to Hill et al. showing a pneumatic toy stove accessory which delivers pressurized air to toy food products that rise when baked. The stove is coupled to a supply of air under pressure and is equipped to release the air into various simulated food items which each include a stretchable diaphragm decorated to simulate uncooked food when in a relaxed condition and cooked food when in a distended condition. The stove also includes an aperture in communication with the food items for bleeding the air therefrom.
A known toy oven disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,286 issues Mar. 7, 2000 to Langlinais discloses a conveyor belt coupled to the toy oven for moving pretend food product through the oven mimicking the cooking process. The toy oven includes a hinged door providing access to an oven cavity with the an endless conveyor belt secured to spools on either end passing through the oven cavity for movement of toy food product through the oven by a user turning a hand-operated wheel.
In further known toy ovens which utilize child-oriented edible food products several mechanisms are taught to quickly cool the food product, or compress and/or grind then compress the food product in an effort to appeal to a young child's desire to make their own food products. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,458 issued Jun. 6, 1995 to Simmel, cooling air is forced into a heating chamber of the toy oven after the product has been sufficiently heated/cooked to substantially reduce the time period required to safely handle the heated/cooked product. An integrated timer controlled actuation and locking system automatically prevents access to the heating chamber when the heating/cooking process is taking place and product is too hot to touch. The actuation system automatically engages and sequentially times the heating and cooling cycles.
In another example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,373 issued May 24, 1994 to Caveza et al. a toy food processor and simulated oven utilizes crushable food material, such as crackers, which are crushed in the processor when a user turns a crank. The crushed food material flows to a tray where the user retrieves and presses it into a cookie shape then slides the cookie tray into the oven chamber which positioned below the processor. A darker food product, such as powdered chocolate or cinnamon is deposited into a sprinkler accessory mounted above the oven and flows onto the shaped cookies simulating browning.
In another example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,730 issued May 7, 1974 to Cooper et al. a telescopic food mold is inserted into a toy oven for reconstituting a compressible food product contained within the mold. The mold filled with the compressible food product is covered and placed into the oven between upper and lower walls. One of the walls moves toward the other when the oven door is closed to compress the mold and thus compress and reconstitute the food product contained therein to simulate baking a cake.
A known mechanical toy which simulates a cupcake with a lit candle operable to be blown out by a user is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,862,397 issued Jan. 4, 2011 to Ng et al. The mechanical toy includes a base in the shape of a cupcake, a simulated flame structure movable between an exposed-to-view position and a hidden-to-view position within a candle structure. A spring biased support structure supports the flame in the exposed position and a slight lateral force causes the flame to move to the hidden position.
Significantly, known toys do not include a mechanical toy apparatus operated by a lever structure for transforming a removable symbolic structure in a way that is simple yet unique and exciting for a user. It would be desirable to provide a symbolic structure mounted on a base and actuating a cam at the base for moving a support structure into engagement with the symbolic structure. The lever structure is operable to lift the support structure and shift the symbolic structure to a rising position from a collapsed position.